Thorn is such a girl. Desperate to avenge her dead father, she lives to fight. But she has been named a murderer by the very man who trained her to kill. She finds herself caught up in the schemes of Father Yarvi, Gettland's deeply cunning minister. Crossing half the world to find allies against the ruthless High King, she learns harsh lessons of blood and deceit. Beside her on the journey is Brand, a young warrior who hates to kill, a failure in his eyes and hers, but with one chance at redemption. Will Thorn forever be a pawn in the hands of the powerful, or can she carve her own path?
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“[With] narrator John Keating’s bright, lively voice…the main character, Thorn, stands out from her fellows as a fighting woman and queen’s champion. Keating gives her a distinct Suffolk accent—rounding the sound of ‘i’ into ‘oi’—which sets her apart. His depiction of political minister Father Yarvi sounds sly and smart, and unwilling warrior Brand is portrayed as good-natured and forthright. The queens and empresses come across as delicate yet powerful. This is a wonderful audiobook for listeners who enjoy a strong dose of politics with their fantasy, as in Game of Thrones.”
— AudioFile
“Compelling…[Thorn] makes Katniss Everdeen look like Dorothy Gale.”
— Chicago Tribune“An excellent page-turner…full of drama and energy.”
— New York Daily News“Clever, exciting and unexpected.”
— SFF World“[An] entertaining burst of battle, magic, and political machinations…a thoroughgoing blast, a violent, beautiful rabbit hole of craft that is well worth disappearing into.”
— Shelf Awareness“Splendid…Abercrombie has a knack for building characters with pathos and wit.”
— Publishers WeeklyJoe Abercrombie is a British fantasy writer and film editor. He is the author of The First Law trilogy, as well as other fantasy books in the same setting, and a trilogy of young adult novels. His novel Half a King won the 2015 Locus Award for best young adult book. He was born in Lancaster in 1974, spent much of his youth in imaginary worlds, and left school with a good idea of how to make stuff up. After graduating from Manchester University he worked as a television editor, but he never stopped making stuff up.
John Keating is an actor, voice talent, and AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator. His numerous acting credits include Roundabout Theatre’s production of Juno and the Paycock and La Mama ETC’s production of Cat and the Moon, as well as various parts with the Irish Repertory Theater and the Irish Arts Center. He can also be seen in the HBO miniseries John Adams, starring Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney.